Cinema
Meet Me in St. Louis
Vincente Minnelli · 1944
Synopsis
St. Louis, summer 1903, a year before the World's Fair. At the Smiths', the father, Alonzo, is a lawyer; the mother, Anna, is raising four daughters and a son. Rose, the eldest, is waiting for a long-distance call from her suitor; Esther falls for John Truett, the boy next door; Tootie, the youngest, holds funerals for her dolls and goes out on Halloween night with the older children. Soon afterwards, the father announces that his firm is transferring him to New York after Christmas.
Context
Judy Garland, who was twenty-one at the time of shooting, was reluctant to take on another adolescent role, and Louis B. Mayer had to persuade her; her relationship with Minnelli began during this shoot. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written for the film; Garland refused to sing its first lyrics, for fear of making Margaret O'Brien cry, and it was rewritten. The little girl, who plays Tootie, received the 1944 special Oscar for outstanding child actress. The year's second-highest earner, the film was MGM's most profitable musical in the 1940s.
Who it is for
A film of one hour fifty-three minutes, in colour, divided into seasons. Three of its songs have become standards.
Prizes and reception
Four Oscar nominations, and added in 1994 to the United States National Film Registry.
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